MAS-36: The Backup Rifle is Called to Action
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
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There is a common assumption that the MAS-36 was a fool's errand from the outset - why would a country develop a brand new bolt action rifle in the mid 1930s, when obviously semiautomatic combat rifles were just on the cusp of widespread adoption? Well, the answer is a simple one - the French were developing a semiautomatic rifle at the same time, and the MAS-36 was only intended to go to rear echelon and reserve troops. It would serve as a measure of economy, reducing the number of the more complex and expensive self-loaders necessary, while still providing sufficient arms to equip the whole reserve in case of a mobilization.
Well, the plan didn't quite work out that way, because Germany invaded France before the semiauto rifle was ready for production (it was, at that point, the MAS-40 and was in trials). Not until 1949 would the self-loader go into mass production with the MAS-49 (discounting the short-lived MAS-44). With this in mind, the MAS-36 suddenly makes much more sense. It is a simple, economical, and entirely adequate rifle without extraneous niceties. In a word, it is a Russian rifle rather than a Swiss one.
Production began in the fall of 1937, and by the time of the German invasion there were about 205,000 in French stockpiles. They saw extensive use in the Battle of France, along with M34 Berthiers in 7.5x54mm. Some would escape to serve the Free French forces worldwide through the war, and others would be captured and used by German garrisons in France and along the Atlantic Wall. Production resumed upon the liberation of St Etienne in 1944, and by 1957 about 1.1 million had been made. They basically fall into two varieties, with several pre-war milled components changed to more economical stamped designs after the war.
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You have to hand it to the French for trying to grunt-proof a service rifle and doing a fairly good job of it.
Grunt-proof = no safety? Wrong.
JAMES HAY French had no manual safeties for decades and oddly, their safety record is effectively the same as everyone else. Why? Because when you tell a grunt that by flipping this switch, the gun won't shoot, then he will overestimate the safety and do dumb stuff. The French eliminated that issue by actually making safety a training concern, not a mechanical one. That is more grunt-proofing than not in my opinion.
The ultimate way to "grunt-proof" a rifle is to make it impossible to load. Moving around in combat with no way to carry a round in the chamber safely is not a good idea- a Kraut can shoot you while you are still manipulating the bolt. There is no such thing as "overestimating" a properly designed safety- "ON" = bang, "OFF" = no bang. Simple.
JAMES HAY I am just telling you what they thought. Also, I note that quite a few soldiers got in trouble when they saw a bad guy, lifted their rifles, and forgot to turn off the safety. Grunts are great at making everything a problem. The question is simply which thing is more likely to be a problem with your grunts.
Lift a rifle without a round in the chamber, pull the trigger, and see what happens. Then... lift a rifle you forgot you loaded a round into the chamber of, pull the trigger, and see what happens. That is why all combat rifles have safeties.
French rifle adoption (simplified):
French government (1914): Are we ready to adopt our new, cutting edge, semi automatic rifle?
Germany (1914): *invades France*
French government (1940): Well that was a setback, but at least we've got the resources to adopt our new and improved semi auto ri-
Nazi germany (1940): *Invades France*
Panzerkampfwagen VI ausf. E lol
Is it our turn to invade ?
Vaasref Yes.
French Goverment (1980) At least we have an independant nuclear deterence
German Goverment (1990) let's implement the Euro
French Govement (1999) 'kay
-> To be continued
Just Another Fanboy yep
"How do I zero the sights?"
"You don't, we already did."
"oh......but if I need to rezero it, for some reason, how do I do that?"
"What did you do to my rifle, Guy?"
Well keep in mind that it was mainly meant for use by conscripts and non-frontline personnel. So ... it's a defensible choice.
*Juste some additions I made, père.*
@@bmstylee im not your buddy, friend
-Don't bend the sights more than they already are, soldier-
Guy is a French name. I don't know French but I know Guy is a name.
We usually take it for granted from Ian, but notice the high density of information provided, as well as the precise visualisation of every single technical information. This is very good work.
You start to take it for granted after a while, I must admit.
Agreed. I am constantly impressed by his knowledge and understanding.
Not just the knowledge but his calm, informative, sometimes slightly humorous presentation in front of a camera (and usually just 1 or 2 takes) is a rare gift.
I must agree
that's why I always watch 'em, he's a history buff
A friend of our family "liberated" a MAS-36 some where along the line in 1944 and somehow managed to hold onto it and bring it back home in late 1945. He used the rifle for deer hunting and passed it on to his oldest son who still has it. Once or twice a year, in honor of his late father, the son takes it deer hunting himself. The rifle has harvested more than a few deer over the decades and is/was much loved as a "brush gun".
Also in possession of ta MAS-36 sent back from GI uncle who served in Europe in 44-45. I'm guessing they came upon stockpiles that the Germans had previously captured during 1940. It's quite a sturdy feeling rifle, and the size makes it very handy.
I've got my grandpa's bringback MAS-36 from 44-45, it's a H-series serial number which apparently means it was manufactured before Germany invaded. It's one of the early-pattern guns, still in pretty great condition. Really interesting gun, glad I'm able to be its steward.
Was it sporterized?
@@Immafraid beacause french used to be on every front every climate they use to need a very handy rifle thats how the mas 36 was created
Should've jumped on that MAS-36 I saw for $150 in a shop once.
Yep. That's going to be written on my gravestone. Along with "Darn, I wish I hadn't sold that ....."
Me too! smh
I did get a MAS36 a couple years ago, but it cost me $450.
I feel your pain. If I could only go back in time and with what I know today.
Kennard Lang A friend of mine obtained one of these about fifteen years ago . He couldn't find any ammo for it , so he asked for my help . I bought 7.5 French dies at a gun show and made up a batch of loads by necking up 6.5X55 Swedish Mauser brass . The handloads shot fine . I'm not responsible for your safety if you do the same , do so at your own risk .
Back when I was 12, and beginning to hunt, a local gunsmith offered me a MAS-36 for $80, via my stepdad (circa 1997 or so). I regretted it until two years ago when I got a smoking deal ($350) on a near mint MAS-36. They shoot great and are very light and handy rifles.
The rear locking lugs appear to answer why the bolt is so smooth. As a longtime Enfield shooter I prize the rear locking lugs for smooth bolt action.
love how the French anticipated the troops doing stupid stuff with their rifle , I can imagine it now: *sees infantryman bashing his rifle with a rock ' peirre these guys don't need screw holes alright? it might confuse them'
Thank you Ian, for giving us a presentation on this gun. I really appreciate your obvious interest in the French military and French weaponry, which sadly many Americans ignore or are unaware of due to their willingness to believe in caricatures and stereotypes.
My father was a French soldier that served in the Algerian War from 1957 to 1960. in those days he volunteered for a three year tour of duty with the paratroopers, initially called the 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment and under the command of Colonel Marcel Bigeard. If you know anything about the French Army in the post-war period, you recognise Bigeard was one of the main inspirations for Colonel Raspeguy, the fictional lead of novel series "The Centurions".
Anyway, my father was first issued a MAS 36 when he entered combat in 1957. He appreciated the gun for its reliability and its compact size (he was a small man). Even though he was assigned to an elite unit, he received a MAS 36 instead of a MAS 49 because he was new to the outfit and was also assigned to the 4th Company, which was the support company and handled the automatic weapons and the heavy mortars.
In May 1957, his first real combat action was in the Battle of Agounnenda. Armed with his Mas 36, he was airlifted into an area where Algerian fighters had been spotted and the H-21 helicopter he was in immediately started taking ground fire. The company disembarked and formed a perimeter on a hilltop where the enemy was metres away in thick scrub land. My father was an ammunition carrier with shoulder bags filled with magazines for the FM 24/29 (which has also been reviewed on this channel?).
Suddenly, out of the scrub came a big Algerian that my father always said "Looked like Fidel Castro". This was a member of the Algerian Zonal Commandos. On reflex, my father turned his MAS 36 to the man's chest and shot him at almost point blank, killing him instantly. Later on in the engagement, my father was wounded running to an FM 24/29 position that was low on ammunition. The weapon that got him? A Thompson. He received four .45 caliber bullets in the legs and arms. For this action he received the Croix de la Valeur Militaire with a regimental citation. This was the medal you got in Algeria since they couldn't give out Croix de Guerres since France considered the Algerian War at that time a "police action" and not an actual war.
After recovering in France he returned to his unit and received a MAS 49, which he also liked but he actually seemed to prefer the MAS 36 on account of it being smaller and lighter. My father had a real hang up about carrying weight on combat operations. He later volunteered to become a voltigeur (pointman) for his platoon because they were required to carry nothing but their gun, some grenades and ammunition. So he volunteered for one of the more riskier positions in the unit because he didn't want to lag around a heavy kit! As a voltigeur, he was equipped with the MAT 49 sub-machine gun which he seemed to prefer most of all from all the weapons he was issued. In the close quarters fighting that took place in the bushland of Algeria, the range of a sub-machine gun was apparently enough.
Hope in the future you'll be able to do a presentation on the MAT-49. By all accounts, it was a good sub-machine gun in an age when sub-machine guns were on the decline. It was also a bit on the heavy side.
Thanks for sharing that! I would really like to have a chance to do some shooting with a MAT-49...
One other thing I forgot to mention was that my father liked the MAS 36 for its smooth bolt action. He told me that in 1957, lots of NCOs in the regiment were veterans of Indochina and Korea and they actually carried and preferred American carbines to the MAS 49.
The enemy soldier that shot my father with a Thompson was actually dispatched by a wily sergent with an M1 Carbine (with foldable stock). Eventually though, the M1s were gradually phased out in favour of the MAS 49 but I can see why an M1 would be an attractive weapon for those French NCOs. Perhaps my father wasn't the only one hung up about compact weapons and weight.
Fake story.
Your father wasn't french , since we're supposed to flee at the first shot.
Thanks for your great account.
Forgotten Weapons Ian, you stated the French had the full intention to mass equip a Semi-auto Battle Rifle. They already had a once-improved, battle tested rifle in the RSC 1918 and the tooling/production facilities to go with it., Why did they not simply improve/modernize that instead of designing new battle rifle? It would seem they could've already been well into the deployment phase by the time the war kicked off.
Looking forward to a response, thank you so much for this show!
Stereotypes that the French lost the Seven Years War, the Napoleonic Wars, 1870, both World Wars, Vietnam, Algeria, and a bunch of others? : )
This story is hearsay, I was told it by a old friend who was drafted into the French Army in the 1950's. The new soldiers were forbidden to remove their bayonets without being ordered to do so. The penalty was 1 day in the penal company for each centimeter that the bayonet was removed. He lost his bayonet while on night maneuvers. He placed his rifle in its proper place in the rifle rack. then he went AWOL Got drunk and purchased a replacement bayonet at the bar that was just off base. He returned to the barracks replaced the bayonet and pleaded guilty to being AWOL and did 5 days carrying A pack full of rocks over a sand pile instead of month +.
How did he get a replacement bayonet at the bar? xD
Thank you for sharing your friend's story!
@@mysss29 Well at that time in France, weapon parts and weapons in general weren't that hard to find. Thanks to arming the resistance a few years prior there were a lot of pieces still circulating for the next twenty years - even though there were several attempts to disarm to population and get these weapons back.
As a matter of fact when I was a kid I found in the attic a sten my grandpa had used back in the day. No ammo and not functional any more of course because it hadn't been subjected to maintenance in decades, but he had kept it as a relic.
Robert Benson - Smart soldier, AWOL getting drunk at a bar was the right choice, considering what "Justice" is in many cases.
May your swords stay sharp! (mysss29) I like to think it was actually his bayonet that someone found and sold back to him unknowingly.
@@tywinlannister8015 ah, post ww2 France was the gun nuts paradise. Shame the govt wanted to disarm the people.
The bayonet is excellent for guard duty. It is also excellent as a signal to the troops before storming the enemy. And a rifle with a bayonet looks a lot more threathening than without.
Fix bayonets= an order no one wants to hear
@@jolanderphilip Yes, This. No side wants to hear this order.
I would pay for a repro in 308, the simplicity is attractive. It's like the cute little rifle next door.
There were some converted to .308 by importers. You can find one if you look.
Forgotten Weapons thanks for the info!!
A decent amount of them were actually converted to .308 when they were imported. One of those things to watch for if you find one. Gotta double check it to see if it's chambered for 7.5 French or .308
Either way, 7.5 isn't hard to find, and isn't overly expensive either. PPU makes 7.5 and I've found it in a reasonable amount of gun stores all things considered. Midway also stocks it online.
Make mine a .30-06. I like the sight picture. Zf 4 power scope would be perfect on this
@@throttleblipsntwistedgrips1992 .30-06 is too long to fit, and unless you're firing extra hot loads doesn't have much of an advantage over .308.
The choice of aluminium for the stripper clip could be explained in term of what was easily available rather than designed that way. At the time some of the biggest aluminium factories in Europe were located in the Alps, south-east of France and Switzerland and a lot of aluminium was imported in Saint-Étienne and Lyon to feed the local industry (automotive mostly). So in the Manufacture d'Arme de Saint-Étienne they had a little non-critical (the material used is not really relevant) piece to produce in large quantity, why not use all those aluminium leftovers ?
Thomas R - Are you sure you have enough vowels in "aluminum"? I think you should put like 12 more "I"s in there.
@@mrkrabappleson late answer, but it's the french spelling for aluminum
@@MrATN800 Litterally what every european language calls it.
@@mrkrabappleson Only the US and Canada call it "aluminum". Everyone else says alumin-ium like sodium, lithium, beryllium and most other metals on the Periodic Table.
@Mark Keogh Except the guy who discovered it called it something else. Plus, pretty sure it was called aluminum before you Euros changed your mind. Same thing happened with soccer.
Wow, this thing has Russian levels of peasant/idiot-proofing build into it.
amindofiron
French soldier: "challenge accepted. Hey sarge! I did this with the bayonet how do I fix it?"
Sarge: "what in the actual f-"
It has better than Russian level idiot proofing; the Mosin M91/30 is easy to take the stock off of.
Meh, peasants... idiots...! These are way tougher. They're soldier- proof! 😁
@@dscrappygolani7981and that takes doing i am convinced somewhere there is a bunker with 5 year olds and a general walks in and sais break it and quickly flees the bunker
@@ericgill4665 😀
If nothing else, this channel has made me want to spend absurd amounts of money on French surplus.
Fun fact Call of duty 2 big red one in the 2nd mission you can use this weapon. You fight against the Vichy France in the first African campaign mission.
I bought one a few years ago for $175, in good shape, not really knowing what it was. Once I actually found some ammo for it, and, fired it, I immediately fell in love! It is the best shooting bolt action I own.
It is genuinely fun to watch Ian get to talk about a French rifle, regardless of its overall importance. He is such an enthusiast, it's always a good view!
I always thought that the bolt handle looked really weird and uncomfortable until I got to shoot one of these rifles. Contrary to my belief, it's actually really comfortable (at least for me). Overall, these rifles are (just like you said) really underappreciated. Good, useable sights for a military application, simple, rugged construction, good caliber.. couldn't really ask for more in my mind.
My dad "acquired" a Mas-36 during his 3 tours in Vietnam. When he got back he tossed it into a wooden crate and forgot about it. When he passed his collection was divided up among the brothers and I inherited the Mas-36 and his revolver he used for tunnel work. It still has the bayonet and everything else in it.
When is was in the (french) army as a conscript in 94 we had those (deactivated) MAS36 for drills and marching in, "l'ordre sérré" in french.
It was a unit for Medecine and also Pharmacy students near Bordeaux . We staid there for a month for minimal military classes and to learn some military specific medecine topics and then we where dispatched to Units or military hospitals for the remaining (1 year total) of the conscription.
We fired the PA MAC50 pistol but no long guns as we were officers (Aspirant, translate as Sub-Lieutenant i guess...) and medical personnel.
For us it was quite easy and a cool experience but for the regular guys, private conscripts, it was no piece of cake.
Souvenirs Souvenir...
Watching French firearm videos makes me understand why Ian loves French firearms. To quote Ian from the FR-F2 vid, "The French copy no one, and no one copies the French."
Eugene Stoner copied elements from the MAS 40-56 family of rifles for the AR 10 and 15.
I got one a few years ago for $500, ammo included. Always thought it was a 1950's era gun...but after watching this and having a K prefix serial, its definitely a 1944/1945 production, which is super cool to know.
For 2 years, 1963 - 64, I used a MAS 36 for Deer and Black Bear hunting. There were only two types of ammo available at the time. Some mil-surp French ball FMJ's and a little bit of very expensive Norma or French soft point. I used a grinding wheel to open up the tips of the mil-surp to make OTSPT so that the ammo was legal for hunting here in Vermont. These worked!!!
Nothing like waking up to a new video about history of an old and unique gun
Except waking up and shooting said unique historic gun on the range. Its afternoon here. XD
*wanking
Thank you very much for sharing this knowledge. My grandfather fought for the US in WWII and brought back a K series MAS 36. Our family still has this rifle, beautiful piece of history.
I have a MAS 36 (M serial number block) and it is one of my favorite rifles. Minute-of-bad-guy accurate, quick, and easy handling.
Looks like a pretty slick rifle that's quite easy to carry around. I'd want to own one if I could get my hands on it.
These things are so damn gorgeous.
Captain Sunder idk lol. Looks ugly to me 😂. Still it is a good rifle so that's irrelevant.
Evan Daire simplicity is beautiful in a way.
You must also think the MAS 49/56 is pretty as well...
The internet never ceases to amaze me :)
gunnyman100 Yes, i do! There's something so... particular about it.
Captain Sunder ... I’d like to try one out.
Sitting here, listening to this while I'm playing AoE II, and out of nowhere "Mon Dieu, we need more hrifles!"
I freaking died laughing. Keep up the humor, Ian!
Age of Empires II? I played it extensively, but don't recall this line. Please explain.
I was fortunate enough to find and buy 3 of these guns. Out of all the bolt action milsurp rifles I own, the Mas 36 are by far the most fun to shoot. It's light, handy, has little felt recoil and the sights are great.. Thanks for putting out this video. French rifles in general don't get the credit they deserve. Would love to see a future video on the semi-auto series of the Mas guns (44, 49, 49/56)
I reall looking at these in Shotgun News back in the 80's in both 7.5 French and .308 having been converted by Interarms I believe. Always thought I would like to have one but never did get one. Buddy of mine had one in 7.5 and it made a dandy deer gun even on the prairie, that 7.5 French is nothing to sneeze at.
I have had one of these for about 10 years now . It shoots better than any of the 8mm Mausers that I own . A real pleasure to shoot . The sights are great .
Agreed. I've got a wide variety of WWII bolt action rifles and the MAS 36 is one of my favorites as well. The sights are excellent and it's light weight. The narrow profile makes it very handy. I think the French did very well with its design.
Shame you didnt show the weird variants like the experimental paratrooper model with the aluminum folding stock. Still though great progression on the french rifle tree.
Those are coming in separate videos. :)
le M39 CR is the graal my father cive back his US M1 for a Mas 39 CR because he became soldier in the mountains troops of the new french army ( wie can see a golden Mas 39 in an épisode of Wild Wild West ( le night of the colonel )
When I was in the French Army, a long time ago, there was in the armory some MAS 36 CR with folding aluminium butts in the company of USM1 with folding butts also who served as survival weapons for aircraft crews.
I love my MAS-36, its one of my favorite rifles I have an L model built after the war.
Oh yeah, the aluminum stripper clips work great btw.
They really have gotten expensive now and I'm glad I got it before they shot up in price.
I'm not sure if I wrote this once before, but this is BY AND FAR THE VERY VERY BEST gun channel on the web. Fullstop. The amount of information, the detailed, humorous presentation, the very weapons presented... everything is absolutely top class. The very very best gun channel there is. Every single "episode" (for lack of a better term) is of the highes caliber (pun intended). Congrats from Croatia, Ian. Keep up your excellent work.
As originally designed the MAS-36 had no safety, as Ian mentions. Occasionally, a MAS-36 will be seen with a piece of sheet metal fitted under the back of received, just below rear of bolt, that slides to act as a safety. The stock slightly relieved in accordance. This was done sometimes in late 1950s or '60's by importer selling surplus and not an French variation.
In hindsight, I feel like "Mon Dieu! We need more rîflès!" would have been a perfect tagline for a T-shirt to promote the book.
Funny way to Frenchify rifles, while the actual word is "fusil"
I purchased mine years ago and it was a post-war rifle, refurbished, and in mint condition. They are surprisingly heavy.
Wasn't too many years ago, you could buy an unissued MAS 36 for pretty cheap. It's too bad those days are over.
Stew Knoles
I got lucky and my grandfather had one a friend gave him for a gift. Being young and broke, I was showing him my new to me Mosin. He said "hold on, I have something you might like" and came out with a MAS36 he had in the back corner of the closet. Being the only reloader, and truly gun-appreciating family member I made sure it found a home in my safe once his Alzheimer's got bad enough we couldn't trust him with guns.
A neat rifle for sure, and definitely has sentimental history to me personally.
One day, we’ll say that about Mosin 91/30s. Mark my words.
@@HaloFTW55 I got my first two Mosin's for $60 back in the early nineties. And yeah, that was $60 for the pair, not each.
I sold the ragged looking one for $200 about 10 years ago, but still have good looking one. It's about as peasant proof as a gun can get. She ain't fancy, and she's got no frills, but just like an old Russian peasant woman, she'll get the job done and knock you on your ass at the same time. (And she looks pretty good for a 1939 date stamp too)
@@frankmueller2781 Used to be, you couldn't walk into a gun store without there being at least 20 Mosins for sale, along with cleaning kits all for $80.
Nice to hear the full story on these. Looks like a great design, well thought out features (the bayonet especially), great sights etc. Ballistics are basically identical to the later 308, so we know that is fine. The rationale behind the rear locking lugs makes perfect sense. I wish all bolts were so easy to fieldstrip without tools. I better get one someday soon.
8:25 Saint-Etienne wasn't liberated by american troops but by french resistance fighters the 25th of august 1944. The french 1st Armored Division which had previously fought in North Africa and had arrived in France during the Provence landings entered the town just the day after.
The French resistance re-conquered the French town of St. Etienne?
Etienne Watteau
Oh, I'm sorry, I misunderstood your choice of words before. In English, "conquer" generally means "occupied by an unwanted invader". For popular resistance forces and allied armies, in both cases we would say "liberate". In this case, where the Resistance came in first and then the Allies afterward, one would probably say "liberated by the Resistance and secured by the Allies" or "...and turned over to the Allies". It's a bit weird anyway since de Gaulle and the French Army were part of the Allied armies so the distinction gets murky.
The German Army strategically withdrawing from a town does not equal the French resistance "liberating" it. ;)
@@jameshay7247 Well, when the germans did that they usually left the local collaboration french militia behind. My grandfather fought them in St-Etienne precisely.
Militia might sound like a joke to you, but it was akin to the SS in many ways.
@@jameshay7247 the french master of the Gestapo get killed in my town;
in the same little departement of saint etienne the resistance was really here,
we produce coal,steel,tank,canon,rifle and lot of the worker in this industry stop work in the occupation and some of them are killed by the gestapo
and not the german doe not just leave take a look about the estivareille conflict with the resistance look the numbers of prisonners, and the numbers of resistant who fought here,
so shut up when your just stupiud.
dont piss on the memory of your ancestor because you just a pure incult who based his culture by watching movie lyke the soldat ryan etc
That was a pretty good video. My first experience with a French weapon was a really beat up MAS 36 brought back from Vietnam. I bought it at a show for a couple bucks just to pull apart and check it out. I also wondered if the Japanese had some influence on the design. If I had a junk receiver, I would heat treat a piece to see if it was made of high carbon steel like the Arisakas were. The French just do things differently. Once you get past that, they have made some pretty good rifles.
Years ago I wound up with a Mas 36 Vietnam buyback I bought from a son of a Vietnam vet who for some reason wound up selling it. Surprisingly in good shape. Made after the "war."
I remember Alex C (formerly of TFB TV) judged this to be the best bolt-action rifle of WW2.
one thing i love about the MAS is the 2 piece stock, it remind me of winchesters
Ah yes, another cod big red one memory
I don't remember much of that game other than knowing It was great.
That game is so underrated.
First game that made me a COD fan. Till fuckin' Ghosts.
in order of best SP
COD BR1.....cod1 (and united offensive)......cod4 mw1.....cod3
meh on the rest......black ops 1 had a cool idea, but idk.....was too worn out at that point
I miss the original cod days, everything up to the first black ops was good, all the newer games suck.
"When it's time to do shooting..."
Well, one supposes that one would, eventually, you understand, Monsieur, EVENTUALLY arrive at such a time... but a gentleman never really discusses this sort of thing. Another glass of Bordeaux?
With the Mas 36 french produced a near perfect bolt action rifle in light of war use. In Mud test videos, other bolt action rifles have failed because of their mud in their locking lugs. The Mas would be super simple to clear and get back in the fight.
this is why your channel is so much better than the mooks out there. Just saw 2 different gun channels that don't know crap about it. One guy with 53k subs literally said that because his rifle shot a bit to the left , it was a design by the french due to soldiers pulling the trigger as they fired. Also that the bolt was turned forward to prevent it from hitting your nose. WTF????? Another guy with 8k subs just looked at the bolt and said... "um , I don't know why the bolt was bent like this" . WOW!!!!
the MAS 36 is a fascinating bridge between the pre and post-war philosophies of main infantry rifle design. I have always thought it was a particularly underappreciated rifle. Great video.
Edit: 6:00 That rifle is one of the nicest-looking weapons of this vintage I have ever seen. Wow.
4:25 "an interresting frecnch solution to this problem" is Ian's way of saying "dude wtf"
Ian is the type of dude to like French guns so much, he learns parts of the language!
This looks like an amazing combat rifle that just came in at the wrong time
Since materials are so much stronger in tension, it seems like a good dirt-resistant solution is to locate the locking system (or delaying one) forward of the chamber and then connect it to the bolt via a pair of rods as they can be easily sealed. This would combine nicely with the AR-18 style of dual-rod bolt guide.
I think the biggest reason this truely great rifle never cought on until very recently is the lack of any reliable supply of ammo. You were lucky if you could score some of the crummy Syrian ammo now and then. The French Military ammo is normally good when it could be found. Today that isn't a problem, the ammo is commercialy available
I have a MAS-36, and it is a very robust and reliable weapon.
15:43 Even MAS-36 had a montage. MONTAGE!
It appears to be an extremely well thought out and well executed design. At the same time (interbellum), France was also producing some of the best tanks, single engine fighters, artillery, and warships of the day. I think a bit of credit is due.
The rifle at the front looks beautiful, I would love to own it.
When my Dad was collecting in the 1960’s you couldn’t give these away. No ammo didn’t help but they were so weird compared to the flood of various Mausers available. He did get one, I played with it as a kid (safely) and I still have it. Can’t believe anybody likes them!
6:44 You're welcome.
Jun yuan tan
*Mon dieu!*
My father had a sporterized Mas 36, which he loved. It had a firing pin which was broken, repaired, and rebroken for many years. Somehow, he managed to get it into an armory somewhere and they machined a new firing pin for it. I do not believe it has been fired since then, and that has been many, many years now. I still have it in my collection just for the memories. That is the real value of this piece. I wish I could have it in an old (50's - 60's type) gun cabinet to display - but not in today's world! Alas, it is encased in steel and concrete, hidden away from everyone but me.
The question should be: "How will it do in the mud test?"
Very good rifle. Simple and all around functional. I have fired one and they shot well. Even with the rear lugs, I did not notice any major accuracy issues, though I also was not competing with it or anything.
Mas-36 wouldn't have been captured yet by the Viet Cong as that organization would develop for the (American) Vietnam War. The French Indochina War would have primarily been between the French Empire and the Viet Minh, which was a predecessor but significantly different organization than the Viet Cong.
namchi vu samesamenewname4
I hate to be pedantic, but the Viet Cong never actually existed outside of American armed forces slang and US News media. The blokes in black pajamas and straw hats still called themselves the Viet Minh. Propaganda, can't escape it.
Saw one of these at a gun show for 380$ and the rear sight was messed up plus it was a little rusty so I had to pass but I was impressed with its handy size and it's extremely light weight
"Only Dropped Once" I love it!
I own one, although sporterized, and it is one of the nicest shooting bolt action rifles I have. love the video and was nice to learn more about the history of it.
Love that shirt. A subtle FU to the anti French types.
I love the 25 sight options for zeroing. Someone should sell those grid targets and then you order your appropriate sight insert.
I'm tired of hearing Americans bash on the French military. And I'm no francophile, there are plenty of legit things to criticize about the French state. But "cheese eating surrender monkeys?" "For sale: one French military surplus rifle, never fired, only dropped once?" I'm just not having it. I must speak!
Listen up. In the spring of 1940, the Soviets weren't in the war yet, they were still recovering from the massive beat down tiny Finland had inflicted on them in 1939. Once almost every other power in the region save for Switzerland had been either assimilated or subdued by the Nazis, and the British had been kicked soundly and decisively off the continent with their tails between their legs, France was left to face the Germans alone. And yes, she quickly buckled under the blistering assault. So did the Poles. So did the Danes. So did the Norwegians. So did a lot of others. But unlike Denmark and Norway in particular, France put up a bit more than token resistance. In the 46 days it took Germany to overrun the country, France lost something on the order of 360,000 men. Think about that for a moment. Imagine seeing 326 healthy young men violently killed per hour, every single hour around the clock for a month and a half straight. That scale of violence is unimaginable to you and me. That's nearly 90% of total US combat deaths across all branches in all theaters *for the entire war,* in just a few weeks. The fall of France stunned and shook the world.
The *only* country to ever stand alone toe to toe with the Germans and survive the experience was the Soviet Union, and even they were very nearly overcome. But the Soviet Union had a lot of key advantages that France did not have. 1. They had another year to prepare. 2. They had tremendous assistance from British intelligence and American materiels. 3. They had vastly more territory they could afford to lose. 4. They had inexhaustible amounts of people- men and women both- whom they could feed into the meat grinder that was the eastern front. 5. They had "General Winter" on their side. 6. The Germans royally botched the prosecution of the war again and again. 7. The Soviets were 100% focused on fighting the Germans and nothing else, while the Germans became increasingly divided as the war progressed, having to allocate huge amounts of men and equipment- including Field Marshall Erwin Rommel- to fronts other than Russia; occupied France, for example. Yet even so, the Soviets had to go the whole distance with Germany, taking almost 4 years, getting not insignificant amounts of outside help from the allies, and losing tens upon tens of millions of lives before finally sealing the victory.
During the years of occupation, many French continued to engage in a war of sabotage, resistance, intelligence, assassination, and aid to downed Allied aircrew and Jews in hiding. They did so at great personal risk to themselves, and many would not ultimately survive the occupation. But as a result of their heroism and sacrifice, they kept immense quantities of Nazi resources tied down with the occupation, rendering them unavailable to fight allied forces in other theaters, where their absence would be most definitely felt.
Oh, and not to mention, the French military existed prior to WW2, as well. They were by far the staunchest of the Allied powers in WW1, without a doubt taking the largest brunt of the Imperial German war machine. Hey, remember that scene in Lord of The Rings with the balrog, and Gandalf famously declaring, "You shall not pass!"? Yeah, that's a call back to the Battle of Verdun. In 1916, the Germans and the French slugged it out face to face for nine months. The battle is remembered for, among other things, the first time flamethrowers were used in combat. The fighting ran the gamut from highly precise, long range artillery and air strikes, to individual men in muddy darkness slaughtering each other with brass knuckles and spiked clubs that would have been regarded as crude even in medieval times. Each side lost hundreds of thousands of men before the Germans were finally forced to concede the territory once and for all. Neither army was ever quite the same after that battle. Both commanding generals, Erich von Falkenhayn for the Germans and Phillipe Petain for the French, suffered nervous breakdowns before it was over. It's one of the few engagements of the western front that can be said to have truly changed the nature of the war.
There is also the minor detail that without the French military, the United States would almost certainly not exist. It was the French who prevented Cornwallis from withdrawing at Yorktown, forcing him to surrender to Continental ground forces. It wasn't until France threw in with the colonists that the tide of the war really began to turn in their favor.
And I'll just mention Napoleon. You know, conqueror of Europe. Maybe look him up some time.
My local Pawn shop actually has a Mas 36 in beautiful condition, receiver blue and all.
Only problem is the '.308' stamped on the receiver that makes me worried some jackass rebored it.
That sounds usefull. How common is 7.5 french anyway? Is 308 cheaper?
I'm early. Let me make a joke.
Gewehr 43
Not a Homosexual Ba dum bum
Get out your name aint fooling nobody
Oops, Germany beat you to it.
I love it when people describe it as the German "improved" version of the SVT-40 like it didn't blow up taking your fingers and sight.
Better than a Gewehr 41 tho
Really the last of the purpose built and designed bolt action battle rifles. Kinda cool to see what amounts to the pinnacle of design for the system.
Now this is a rarity..Ian reviewing a French rifle :)
I briefly had a MAS-36 but I immediately returned it because it had a deep pit in the chamber that allowed the cartridge brass to blow into the pit making the bolt extremely hard to open after firing. After firing it I basically had to slam the bolt up hard to open it. I know its a one off experience but it kind of soured me on them.
I had a cherry MAS36 a few years ago...sold it and 5 minutes later regretted it
Ive learned the hard way to never sell a milsurp. The only guns I sell or trade now are modern guns. But I never sell antiques especially World War era guns. Ive heard too many old guys say things like "you used to buy Mausers in barrels for 50 bucks at the hardware store!" ...Think theyre expensive now? Imagine just 10 years from now. I bet most prices will have doubled and a Mosin in the $4-500 range would be the norm.
Dan Schneider I picked up mine a couple years ago from an older gentleman that had recently retired and was moving south.
$200 and that came with 500+ rounds of French surplus ammo.
Then a couple weeks later I stumbled upon another mas 36, a guy wanted to trade for a couple mosin-nagants.
@Herbert Norkus It was your fault for getting married…
Another great history report Ian , thanks a ton !
Ha, I got this shirt before it became famous!
This gun needs to featured in more games....
Call of Duty 2:Big Red One. North Africa stage, Vichy French Airfield mission. You will see more MAS 36s, FM 24/29s and MAS 38 smgs than actually were ever in France's overseas garrison before 1946.
Along with completely anachronistic Panzerfausts!
@@MrReded69 post scriptum too
I was hoping that you would address the fact that MAS 36 rifles have incredibly short butt stocks (also on my MAS 49/56) but when a MAS rubber recoil slide on pad is installed, they tend to lengthen the length of pull to a shootable dimension.....or more comfortable one anyway. Any explanations for this characteristic?
It'd be nice to see a discussion of length of pull generally; all these different rifles being made by national armories by the hundred thousand with (for whatever production run) the same length of pull. I don't suppose the Swedes and the Japanese picked the same length of pull, though, and it'd be interesting to see if there's any trends over time or long-surviving national standards.
Graydon Saunders the Lee-Enfield had different length stocks made for length of pull
One of the reasons I love mine so much. Not a big guy by any means so the MAS36 and basically any Russian rifle has a length of pull that's not burdensome to me.
This is the one rifle from WWII that I wanted to own, but failed to purchase when I as a collector. I don't know why, they were so very available back then for a very reasonable price. Some outfits were selling them converted to .308 Win, but those made me a bit nervous because of the rear lugs and the high pressure of the .308. There was some bad press about them back then as well that pretty much held me back, but I do recall having my hands on one back in Nam, as they were quite plentiful among the enemy who scrounged up any gun they could get their hands on, in fact we had one in our rifle rack in the Secure Communications Center along with a couple of SKS'S an AK47 or two, a Thompson that someone had captured and given to us, and of course our M-16A1's which is what we grabbed when the siren blasted and we hit the bunkers. I may well pick one up to hang in our RV if I run into one in my travels, I am pretty sure you can still get the ammo somewhere for these guys.
I think you mean the ‘Viet Minh’, who were the Communist combatants during the Indo-China War. They became the Viet Cong in the later 2nd (or 3rd depending how you interpret it) Vietnam War.
I've noticed that issue of using one of the protective ears to aim instead of the front sight with the T99 Arisaka.
Can you PLEASE do a video on how stacking rods work. They're a bit thin on CZcams.
Ah yes, and playing the flute is blowing in one end and moving your fingers about a bit. Thx for the help.
I really do like how clean-looking that rifle is. The separate rear and front stock sections make for a very modern-looking design even by today's standards.
never fired droped once
Strange the Germans had 150,000 casualties in 45 days facing the French Army. Not bad with no shooting eh?
Actually, Manufrance made some rifles too, but were still marked MAS on the receivers. You can only tell the difference between the two makers by the proof and acceptance marks on the top of the receiver ring.
He's said that MAS's commercial offerings were under "Manufrance" before, though? And wouldn't that receiver marking indicate the receivers were still made by MAS?
These weren't commercial offerings. I'm not even sure if Manufrance had any commercial offerings of MAS36s as even the Fournier rifles were made by MAS not Manufrance. MAS could have made the receivers and sent them to Manufrance, but it could just as easily used the same roll stamps to help speed up production.
Ok, hold on a minute: If bolt-actions were so obsolete, then why did all the major militaries (except for the US with their M1 Garand) use bolt-actions as the main weapons for their soldiers? Germany used the K98 which was a shortened version of the Gewehr 98, the British used the Lee-Enfield, the Italians had the Carcano etc. etc....hell, even the US still used bolt-actions, especially for their snipers (M1903 Springfields - the M1-Snipers weren't as well liked, at least that's what I read)...some militaries even use bolt-actions today for snipers , even the US! The M24 is still used by the US-Army for example :)
Money and Time: Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Czechoslovakia and Poland were all working on or had semi autos in the mid to late 30's, but the great depression had delayed the development and the start of the war in '39 caught them out and made the switch over to new rifles mid-way through combat impractical. Hell, China was working on a semi auto in 1919 when the general in charge died, and Japan had developed of a version of the Pedersen, but when the conflict in Manchuria heated up in the mid 30's the project was canned in favor of using the resources to ramp up production of the old patterns on both sides, Chinese Mausers and Japanese Arisakas respectively. The US got the Garand in '36, and didn't enter the war until after Peal Harbor, and so was the only major power that had time to get a semi auto into mass production.
As for sniper rifles, you don't really need a semi auto because rate of fire is less important, and it does make it harder to clean up your brass, which is a big deal if you're trying to stay concealed.
DreamingFlurry Because money, logistics, and training are things that hamper widespread adoption of the latest tech. The U.S. was lucky to be an ocean away from the major powers and have the manpower/industrial base to standardize on a semi-auto rifle, a luxury no other major power had as they were all confined in close proximity to each other so different priorities with less money being an important factor had to be taken into account.
Not only that, artillery, airpower, and tanks kill more effectively and in mass than your standard infantry rifle so it makes more sense to invest more money in to those than your typical infantry squad.
To your last point, bolt action's are indeed obsolete as GENERAL ISSUE weapons but for a sniper, a specialist role, then bolt action make sense since they are for long range, precise shots from cover, not slugging it out in general combat like the regular infantry would.
Yet several countries (Germany, the Soviet Union, the USA, France...did I forget someone?) introduced semi-automatic rifles either shortly before or during the war, precisely because bolt actions were becoming obsolete. It is a huge logistical and industrial effort to switch to a new standard rifle, even more so back then: you have to keep in mind production methods were not as good and armies were a lot bigger at that time. Even in 1945, shortly before the Germans lost the war, they still fielded almost 8 million soldiers. The Soviet Union and the USA at that time had 11-12 million soldiers, France had 5 million at the start of the war, etc. Switching to a new standard rifle in those numbers was just not feasible for many countries at that point in time, even though better technology was theoretically available. Edit: to address the second point you made, sniper rifles are a different kettle of fish. In roles where precision is paramount and trumps other considerations, bolt actions can still have their place. There are no parts moving in a bolt action at the moment when the gun is fired, so their inherent precision is generally higher than semi-automatic designs (even though you can have very precise self-loaders as well).
Scott7891 bolt actions also generally lock up more consistently.
DreamingFlurry *precision*
I love the fact that in lots of reviews these rifles are shown in pairs. Like we all know what's gonna happen
*Looks Left*
*Looks Right*
THE SMLE WAS A BAD RIFLE
Careful of the bait
Pippin Santiago BURN HIM AND EAT HIS FLESH !
I know this is bait but I agree with it.
Pippin Santiago REEEEEEEEEEEE
HOW DARE YOU
I recently acquired a mas 36 that had been in a flood. I totally stripped it down, all the wood was in bad shape, but the receiver, bolt, trigger assy. was in pretty good shape. The barrel bore was in good shape but after the hand guards were gone and had been sitting a little while after a flood, the outside of the barrel was pretty rusty. Well the gun, not a matching number gun, and not wanting to put a lot of money in it, I took the barrel to work, sandblasted the outside of the barrel(lightly). I found the outside of the barrel had some pitting on it. I cleaned the rest of it up the best I could and then sprayed it all with molylube. Order some new handguards and stock and a few other small parts. It turned out pretty decent, not being a gunsmith and wouldn’t dare do this to a garand or a mauser, but if I have a gun, I want it to shoot. I ordered some ammo online and it shoots good, not real accurate, but I’ve seen a lot worse. My question is, should I worry about shooting this gun. There’s no cracks and the bore looks fine. But like I said it had some pitting on the outside of the barrel near the receiver end. Any comments would be welcomed. It’s a post ww2 gun according to the serial on the receiver. Anyhow it’s in better shape now. I would like to continue shooting it. Comments please. Thks
Are you going to start doing more videos on "mainstream" firearms? I feel like if nothing else you could give good background and history on guns like the 1903 Springfield, SMLE, etc in their standard form.
He’s always had mainstream firearms mixed in with his channel. I know he’s made videos on at least one form of the lee enfield and the 1903 Springfield as well
"Forgotten Weapons."
1903 Springfield and the Small Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) are not yet forgotten.
Patman Crowley Things like the PPS-43, Colt SP-1, and the FAMAS aren't "forgotten" but they were still featured on this channel.
Patman Crowley
It's a Short, Magazine Lee Enfield.
Patman Crowley The "S" stands for "short" because they were a shorter rifle.
Très beau exposé sur me MAS-36, bravo !
You meant they were captured by the Viet Minh,right?
I truly do not know what it is, but these are my favorite looking bolt actions.
Are you sure this is a French rifle ?
It doesn't look ugly enough to be a French rifle.
Seriously though the mas 36 is a pretty awesome looking rifle, it looks so rugged and simple I'd love to have one if they could be converted to 308.
Serial number is also stamped on the underside of the bolt. French surplus ammo from the 60's has hard primers.